Dark Secrets, book 2: Battle of Echidna
by AFincorporated
Summary: SEQUEL TO DARK SECRETS. PREVIOUSLY "CASPIAN DAUGHTER OF POSEIDON". With Ella's twin brother back safe and a fun summer of training at camp half blood ahead, nothing can go wrong right? No such luck. Seriously, did you expect anything better? Rachel has another prophecy that sends the duo and their demigod friends on another quest, and this time not everyone may come back alive.
1. Chapter 1

**Authors Note: hi, F here, of AFincorporated. I don't own any characters from PJO or HoO, and I love reviews.**

**TO EVERYONE WHO HAS NOT READ MY OTHER FAN FICTION, "CASPIAN DAUGHTER OF POSEIDON" READ IT THEN COME BACK OR THIS WILL MAKE LITTLE SENSE TO YOU!**

**Casper's POV ~**

I walked towards camp. I was back for the summer after spending the school year at an all-girl's boarding school in upstate New York. I was looking forward to seeing my best friend in the world, Aello, but if you call her that she'll kill you, so she's just Ella.

I was also a little nervous, because we had had a big fight before I left about whether or not I should go. See, Ella had just been reunited with her twin brother Biron who she had thought for a really long time was dead. She didn't want to go anywhere without him, but the school I was heading to was all girl's, and we always went to the same school. She thought I should stay year-round with them. I hadn't spoken to her since, and it had been months.

I readjusted my duffle strap on my shoulder before heading down half-blood hill. I waved to Chiron, who beamed and lifted a hand in greeting. I high-fived Will Solace, waved to Piper and Jason down at the lake, and greeted several other friends. I opened the door of the Poseidon cabin only to get nearly crushed.

"Ow ow ow!" I croaked. "Tyson, too tight!" My brother Tyson is a cyclops. He was at least two heads taller then me. I had met him at the end of last summer. He set me down, grinning, and I saw Percy waving to me over the huge Cyclops's shoulder. "Good to see you two." I smiled, and plopped my bag on the bunk I had taken last year. "Have you two seen…. Ella?" Percy's smile changed from genuine to a little forced.

"She's still mad, sis." I nodded, psyching myself up to face her.

"Sister want us to come to help?" Tyson asked. His big brown eye looked concerned.

"Yeah. If you don't mind." I glanced at Percy. He gave me a thumbs up.

"At the very least, we can help deflect any arrows if it comes to that." Percy said cheerfully.

"Not helping."

We joked around and laughed as we went towards the Apollo cabin. We stopped in front of the open door. My brothers flanked me like bodyguards as I pushed it open. Biron sped past me.

"She's still pissed. I don't want to be anywhere near this." He hissed, hurrying away. "Bad for my health." I rolled my eyes. Biron was nice, but a little childish and he could be a little rude without meaning too. Percy and Tyson hung back a little as I stepped inside.

With her back to me, was Ella. She wore a flowery sundress and sandals, and her neatly combed and ponytailed purple hair made me self-consciously tug on my faded t-shirt and denim jacket. I brushed my black hair behind one ear and cleared my throat.

"Hi." I said awkwardly. I wished I had thought about what to say to her. She turned.

"Hi, Cas." She said tentatively. Tyson closed the Apollo cabin door. _So much for deflecting arrows_ I thought, but she didn't seem that mad. She almost seemed…. sad. "Do you...like your new school?"

"Um, yeah. Its nice." I said. I wished I was anywhere but here. "Look, Ella, I'm sorry we fought, but I think that, uh…." I petered off as she gave me the evil eye.

"You didn't care that I wasn't going. You didn't miss me."

"I did miss you! I missed you everyday, but I really like it there." We had a silent staring contest. Her expression softened, and she held out one hand.

"Truce?"

"Friends." We shook. Outside, Tyson and Percy were holding off a few annoyed looking Apollo kids.

"Sorry. Can't go in. Danger zone." Percy said. "Just a few minutes."

"Sister!" Tyson boomed. "You are not full of arrows!"

I laughed, and Ella gave a grudging smile. "No, no arrows at all." I held up my arms to show him there weren't any arrows in me.

"Seems like your good." Percy said. "Oh, hey Annabeth." We let the Apollo kids past us. I greeted Annabeth like a sister. She had, after all, been my brothers boyfriend for at least a year before I even met him. I couldn't count how many times she had saved Percy's life, at least in the "Seaweed brain stories" she used to tell me.

Then we headed down to the lake. Piper and Jason had already finished their picnic and were splashing in the water. We joined them, which probably wasn't the romantic date Piper had been hoping for, but they both looked happy to see us.

Rachel Elizabeth Dare arrived just after lunch. Things were going great, until, on our way to the climbing wall, her eyes clouded and she doubled over. She was surrounded by green mist, and she spoke in a strange voice. "_From the grave the cursed shall rise, given by the powers ties. One shall win, others die, all beware of they who lie._" She swooned, and I just caught her. We all stared at each other.

"Oh crap." Ella mumbled. "Not another one."


	2. Chapter 2

**Authors Note: Hi, F here. To those of you who read Caspian book one, you may have noticed that my prophecy is way better this time. However, I must give credit where credit is due: I had A write it for me. I don't own any characters from the PJO or HoO series, and I really like getting reviews.**

**Ella's POV ~**

I found Biron at the archery range. He wasn't happy about skipping his archery class, but I dragged him up to the big house to talk to Chiron with the rest of us. We were holding a meeting of the senior counselors there, and I thought he should come. Cas and I had to go because we were there when she gave the prophecy, so it might have something to do with us. I hoped it didn't though, because I really liked it at Camp Half Blood. Another quest was not what I wanted.

Biron ate cheez wiz and I put my feet up on the table, but nobody cared. Cas sat on my other side attempting to look bored, but I could tell she was nervous. Travis Stoll of Hermes was armwrestling with Clarisse LaRue **(I hope I spelled that right)** of Ares. Percy and Annabeth sat next to Cas, holding hands and whispering to each other. Clovis was snoring away next to Butch of Iris, who was drawing little ponies on Clovis's arms. Katie Gardener of Demeter was eating cereal with cheez wiz on it next to a daughter of Hecate I didn't know who was levitating over her chair. Nico di Angelo, Hazel's brother, sat next to Will Solace.

"All right, settle down. Katie, cheez wiz should not go on cereal, Clarisse there will be a punishment if you break Travis's arm, and Butch? Just because he's sleeping doesn't mean you can draw on him." We all stopped talking. Biron passed a ping pong ball from hand to hand anxiously.

Rachel Elizabeth Dare came in behind Chiron and sat down next to him. She smiled at me and I smiled back.

"As you all probably know already," Chiron started. "Rachel has had another prophecy." There was a murmur around the table. Apparently they hadn't already known that. "How did it go, Annabeth?"

"From the grave the cursed shall rise, given by the powers ties. One shall win, others die, all beware of those who lie." Annabeth recited.

"Cursed shall rise? Ghosts, definitely." Nico said grimly. "Not a good sign."

"But who would want to bring back ghosts and would have the ability to?" Percy asked. "That narrows it down to…." We all exchanged glances. Last summer, during our quest to Tartarus, the god of the pit himself had taken on a physical form and escaped into the mortal world. We had all known that he would be back, but we didn't know when or where. "Him."

"It appears that another quest is in order." Chiron sighed. "Any volunteers?" Me, Cas, Biron, Percy, Nico, and Annabeth immediately shot up our hands. "I see we do." He rubbed his chin and looked thoughtful. "I suppose we need…. someone with experience with ghosts, someone smart, and fighters. All six of you can go. I suppose that the three person limit hasn't applied for a while."

He turned to the other head campers. "Gather your cabins, and tell them to train up and what's happening. I want groups of three people at the corners of the camp at all times on guard duty." They nodded and sped off to prepare.

"All beware of those who lie." Cas said uncomfortably, like she was about to say something unpleasant. "Could that mean…." She trailed off with a meaningful look at Percy, who was nodding.

"I know what you're saying. I think," He cleared his throat, also uncomfortable. "I think we might have a spy." He rushed on before Annabeth, who had opened her mouth to say something, could speak. "It makes sense right? I hate myself for saying it, but it's the only thing I can think of."

Everyone shifted nervously. Even Chiron stomped a hoof worriedly. I could tell that we all wanted an excuse to go do something else. "Well!" I clapped my hands together loudly, and everyone jumped. "Lets go get ready, shall we? Leave tomorrow morning?"

"Sounds good." Annabeth said. We headed our separate ways. I went to the Apollo cabin with Biron.

"What should I bring?" Biron asked. "Never been on a quest before."

"Pack light," I said. "Only the essentials." I saw him put a few small vials into his bag. "What are those?" He went pink.

"Potions. Hecate showed me how to make them." He said.

"See, thats what really puzzles me." I said. "Why would Hecate help Tartarus? And why would she separate us?" He shrugged.

"Dunno. But she's powerful. Its not good that she's against us." He said grimly. "Magic is a powerful tool. I should know."

"What to those potions do?" I asked him, just to change the subject.

"This one." He held up a crystal vial full of a carbonated purple liquid. "Can cure sickness. Nothing like cancer or whatever, but the common cold, flu, cough." I nodded, impressed. "This next one," He showed me a large five-inch beaker full of a red jelly like substance. "This stuff took a few months to brew. It allows you to walk through walls, but only a couple of times, and then it wears off." He put that back in his bag carefully, and took out a tiny vial of golden light. "This masks demigod scent. Open it around a group of demigods and they won't smell for….probably an hour or so."

"Thats awesome." I said. "Especially the walking through walls one."

"I have a feeling that they will come in handy." He said grimly.


	3. Chapter 3

**Authors Note: hi, don't own any characters from PJO or HoO. I love getting reviews.**

**Casper's POV~**

I woke early the morning we were to leave. I rolled out of bed, careful not to step on Tyson on the bunk below mine. I tiptoed into the bathroom and got dressed in my denim bikers jacket, black camp tank top, hiking boots, and faded jeans with a hole on one knee. I examined myself critically in the mirror. I was forgetting…to comb my hair. I ran a brush through the black tangles and put it up in pigtails, which made me look childish, but I liked my hair that way. I picked up my pack so I wouldn't have to stop in the cabin again before we left.

I had packed the night before, and I had: ambrosia &amp; nectar, a change of clothes, twenty drachma and fifty in mortal dollars, a notebook and pen in case I got bored, a few chocolate bars, and a first aid kit. The kit was the only thing I didn't take last time, and I had learned my lesson.

I went to the pavilion and grabbed a bagel with cream cheese and a chocolate milkshake. Not a balanced breakfast, I know, but I was nervous and chocolate always helps. I didn't really have anything to do until everyone else got up, so I went down to the lake and sat on the edge of the pier. I waved to the naiads and pulled out the notebook and pen.

I'm not much of an artist, or at least I wasn't before I went to my new boarding school. The art program there was really good, so I had made a drastic improvement. I drew the lake, and added some people in canoes and a flying chariot, and Piper and Jason picnicking on the sand. It looked pretty good if I do say so myself.

"I didn't know you were an artist."

"Ah!" I was so surprised to hear Biron behind me that I nearly fell in the lake.

"Easy!" He grabbed one shoulder. "Didn't mean to sneak up on you." He plopped down next to me and put his feet in the water. Today he had a vivid blue streak in his hair, that looked really good with his eyes. I brushed away that thought. He wore a orange camp half blood shirt, dark jeans, sneakers, and an unzipped gray hoodie. He looked really good. I brushed it away again. "Hey, thats really good."

"Thanks." I said, kind of embarrassed. "My chariot is wonky though." We just kind of sat there for a while. Neither of us really knew what to say, until Biron announced he was going to go get breakfast, and stood up.

"See you later for our quest." He said, winking at me. I think I went a little pink, and nodded. Looking down after he was gone, I saw the naiads in the lake making kissy motions at me and giggling.

"Oh shut up." I said.

"I didn't say anything yet." Another voice came from behind me. Ella laughed at the scowl on my face. "Seriously, who were you talking too?"

"The naiads." I said. "They were…. never mind."

She winked at me, and it struck me again how much she looked like Biron. "I'm not an idiot, Cas. You have a thing for my brother, and if I'm not wrong, so does he for yoooo!" She said the last part kind of sing-songy and nudged me with her elbow.

"Funny. Lets go." I shoved the notebook in the bag, and we walked towards the pavilion, where I could see the others. "You're my best friend. I can't have a crush on your twin brother." She nudged me again.

"I give you full permission to go out with my brother." I rolled my eyes. "Hey, that a chocolate milkshake? Gimme!"


	4. Chapter 4

**Authors note: okay, so I just looked back through caspian book one, and it turned out that Ella is a daughter of hermes, not apollo, which I totally got wrong. In the earlier chapters, wherever it says "apollo cabin" or whatev, just mentally replace it with "hermes cabin" please. I don't own any characters from the PJO or HoO serieses. I really like getting reviews!**

**Casper's POV ~**

We borrowed a black camp van. Percy drove and Annabeth navigated. The rest of us crammed into the back seats. "Why did we not take two vans?" I squeaked. I was being squished between Ella and the door. On her other side was Biron, then Nico. There was only room for three, and there was four of us.

"Sorry guys." Annabeth called back. "This was the only one Chiron would spare. He has the satyrs in overdrive lately."

"Why?" I asked. "And why did he want guards at camp? This quest really seemed to freak him out."

"Dunno." Percy shrugged.

I shifted to pull my notebook out of my bag. I drew some of the scenery we passed, and then played 'hangman' with Ella. After she won three times in a row, she switched to playing with Biron and I went to daydreaming.

"Where exactly are we going?" I asked. "Its not like the prophecy said where to."

"It actually does." Annabeth said, and explained. "Given by the powers ties sounds like the gods symbols of power, right?"

"I guess."

"So were going to Olympus. See if anyone is missing anything important, which someone must be, go find it, and return it safely." Annabeth told me. "And Olympus is on the empire state building, so only another half hour."

A half hour later, we parked a few blocks away from the empire state building. We pushed open the front doors, and I don't know what I was expecting, but a completely normal lobby and security desk was not it.

Annabeth fished in her pocket and pulled out a plastic security card. She showed it to the guard, who looked suspiciously at the rest of us. "And them?"

"They're with me. Six hundredth floor please." He nodded and the elevator doors slid open. We stepped in.

"How did you get that security card?" Nico asked.

"They gave me one when I redesigned Olympus after the Titan war." Annabeth told him.

The elevator doors opened, and we stepped into Olympus. Annabeth had done a fantastic job of redesigning it. There was huge marble columns, fountains, and a stage where the muses were singing for a crowd of minor gods.

"Wow." I said. Biron and Ella were just as awestruck, though the others didn't seem to be very interested. They had probably been here multiple times before. We walked through the city, with Annabeth pointing out her favorite buildings here and there.

"Okay." We all stopped in front of a set of double golden doors. "Here goes nothing." He held up one hand like to open the door, but stopped. "Maybe we should knock."

"Of course we should knock." Nico said. "But I'm not doin' it."

"Oh, thanks." Percy said sarcastically. Annabeth rose one hand to knock.

"Hello." A cheerful voice came from behind us. We all spun around, to see a man who was probably some time between twenty and forty, with light brown hair and small beard. He wore a dark blue suit and held a silver pole with two snakes wrapped around it.

"_Hi there."_ One snake said. "_Can I have a rat?"_

"_Don't be rude."_

"_I'm not being rude, I want a rat."_ The man snapped his fingers on his other hand the caduceus changed into a cell phone which he tucked into his pocket.

"Sorry about them." He said. "Hello Ella, Biron." He smiled warmly at them, and that was when I fully realized who he was.

"Hermes." I gasped. We all bowed, but he just chuckled.

"Please, please, don't bow." He said cheerfully. "Why are you here? Your quest against Echidna?"

"What about Echidna?" Annabeth asked immediately.

Hermes looked immediately like he wanted to be someplace else. "Oh, well, you didn't hear it from me, okay? Now, what did you need?"

"Well, we wanted to see if any gods were missing their symbols of power? I don't mean to be disrespectful, but-"

"Maybe you should come inside." Hermes said, opening the doors and striding inside in front of us, and we walked into the throne room of the gods.


	5. Chapter 5

**Don't own characters from PJO or HoO.**

**Ella's POV ~**

Twelve huge golden thrones were set in a U shape around a fire, where a small girl sat. Eleven of the thrones were occupied, and Hermes sat casually in the twelfth. On my right, Cas was biting the inside of her lip with her hands in her pockets, which meant she was nervous. I couldn't blame her. On my other side, Biron was staring at the gods in awe. Percy, Annabeth, and Nico all bowed, so I quickly did the same, dragging Cas and Biron down with me.

"Rise, demigods." A booming voice filled the throne room. We all stood. Zeus frowned at us, like something he couldn't wait to have off of his to-do list. "What is your business here?"

"My lord Zeus." Annabeth said politely. "We come with a simple question, nothing more." I could tell that Annabeth really needed to do the talking for us. I would have said something silly like, "_hello, don't squash me, are you missing something important?"_.

"A question?" Zeus raised one eyebrow.

"A question is reasonable." Apollo chipped in. He was lounging casually in his throne.

"Very well." Zeus motioned for Annabeth to speak.

"Um, Lord Zeus, we were wondering if um, any of the gods…" Annabeth trailed off with an anxious glance at Percy. He stepped forward and took her hand. Neither of them wanted to say it. The gods would probably be insulted, and maybe zap us, so I cleared my throat and said it for them.

"We were wondering if any of the gods were missing their symbols of power." I said quickly, preparing to dive behind Nico, the living shield. The gods shifted angrily, and a few muttered under their breath, but nobody looked like they were guilty.

"None of us-" Hera started angrily. Suddenly, a man appeared in the center of the room, just in front of the fire. He was tall, with dark hair, a pale complexion, and cold eyes. He wore a dark suit with screaming faces on it, what every fashionable girl is wearing this fall. He looked a lot like Nico di Angelo. I had seen him last summer. Hades.

"Hades!" Zeus stood. "How dare you interrupt our-"

"I must speak to these demigods." He boomed, cutting off the voices of all the others.

"You mean-" Percy started. Hades lowered his head.

"The helm of darkness has been….Stolen."


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: don't own any characters you may recognize from the PJO or HoO serieses. I really like getting reviews…(hint hint).**

**To guest: Ella is a daughter of Hermes, but I forgot and wrote that she was a daughter of Apollo. Sorry for the confusion.**

**Casper's POV ~**

The throne room flew into uproar. Zeus shouted at Hades, Hades shouted at Zeus, Poseidon shouted at Artemis for shouting at Apollo for shouting at Zeus for shouting at Hades, Aphrodite checked her makeup, Hera and Hephaestus started bickering, and Ares bellowed at everybody.

"SILENCE!" I bellowed, and believe me, I was really surprised at myself too. But I was mad. "EVERYBODY SHUT UP!" The gods all silenced. "For gods sake! Your gods, pull yourself together! Now let Hades explain." I stepped back and nodded to Hades, who flashed me (what I think was) a grateful look.

"Yes. Tell us, what exactly _did_ happen Hades?" Zeus growled.

"I put the helm in the safe in my throne room. I went to oversee some new souls arrival, and when I got back, the helm was gone." Mutterings ran through the gods again.

"How do we know that you speak the truth?" Poseidon asked. I glared at him, and he pointedly didn't look at me.

"What motive do I have to lie?" Poseidon opened his mouth to speak, but Hades started again before he could speak. "Have you forgotten? Tartarus and Hecate are working together! Hecate could have used her magic to steal it for him." A couple of people nodded. All through the school year, we had been waiting to hear more about why the goddess of magic had gone rogue, but all we had gotten was lots of nothing.

"That makes sense!" Ella burst out. I stomped on her foot and she gave a little squeak, but kept talking while scooting away from me. "Hecate could have used the mist to sneak into Hades palace, steal the helm, and get away safe!"

"It is very logical." Athena admitted. "The perfect cover to turn us against each other, and to get the helm away from you, uncle."

"Then it is surely these demigods duty to retrieve the helm" Artemis put in.

"We will." Percy said. "Thanks for telling us, we'll go get it."

"And we will try to locate Hecate." Zeus said. "Now go demigods, we have other matters to discuss."

We quickly left the hall and headed through the city to the elevator. The first few bars of music in the elevator made me plug my ears right away, so I can't tell you what it was.

We got lunch at a hotdog stand and were back in the van in ten minutes. Annabeth drove this time, with Nico in front so Percy and I could keep each other entertained with endless games of "eye spy", thumb wrestling, and trying to play "hangman" when we were both dyslexic. We were getting kind of desperate for entertainment by the time Nico interrupted.

"Okay you two, if you play another game of go fish with only half a deck I'm summoning an army of the dead to eat you." Nico said grumpily, crossing his eyes and sticking out his tongue at us.

I snorted, and then suddenly realized something I should have thought of before. "Oh my _gods_!"

"I was only joking, Casper." He said, but I waved my hand dismissively.

"No, not that. Besides, I could kick the ass of an army of the dead any day. Thats not it." I grabbed one of his arms so that he turned away from the view. "Is the helm of darkness what allows your father Hades to control all the dead people?"

"Well, ye-"

"Thats why Tartarus and Hecate wanted it! They can use it to bring up an army of dead people!" I chewed my lip. Nico looked like he was about to hurl, and everyone else was white.

"At least it can't geet any worse." Biron offered.

Suddenly, the car exploded.


	7. Chapter 7

**Authors Note: hi, F here. I don't own any characters from the HoO or the PJO series really appreciate reviews.**

**Casper's POV~**

The car flew through the air. It felt like I was being hosed down and burned at the same time. And the next thing I knew, I was laying on my back on the road. I struggled to my feet, all of my body ached and burned.

I could see that the car was upside down in the bushes, but wasn't on fire. I didn't see what had thrown the car, but I didn't particularly care at the moment. I scrambled over. Nobody was hurt badly, but Annabeth's legs were stuck under the dashboard. It took Ella and I working together to pull her out.

"What threw us?" Nico asked. He had to lean on Percy for support because he'd hit his head.

"I don't know." I reached under the collar of my shirt and pulled out the golden chain necklace my father had given me last summer. On it was four charms, one for a sword, one for a spear, on for a shield, and one for a dagger. I pulled on the shield, and a golden circle spiraled out from my hand. It had runes and symbols carved onto it. "But something did."

"We did." A raspy voice came from the road. I turned. From nowhere, ten skeletal figures had appeared. Some of them were dressed in british soldier uniforms, and others looked more like gladiators. I spotted two Marines and a badly scorched fighter plane pilot holding a machine gun. The one in front wore a confederate uniform and held a rifle. He was the one that had spoken. "Hands in the air, or we will not hesitate to attack."

"Machine gun. Machine gun. Anyone else see the machine gun." Ella said nervously.

"See it. See it. See the machine gun. Putting up hands slowly." Biron said, just as nervously.

"Nico, can you make them go away?" Percy asked hopefully.

"I'm trying. They won't listen." Nico scowled in concentration. "Its not _working_." He sounded really frustrated, and concentrated so hard as to cross his eyes a little.

"We have no choice." I said, gritting my teeth.

"Oh no we don't. Just remembered." Biron said. He had reached in his bag and pulled out a small vial. It was full of green liquid, that I remembered Leo Valdez, a friend from camp, had explained was called Greek fire. Confusion was still on Percy and Ella's faces, so I took it upon myself to keep them from getting flame-broiled when Biron threw that vial.

"Get down!" I shouted. Several things happened at the same time. I grabbed Percy and Annabeth and dragged them down with me. Nico fell when Percy did. Biron threw the vial and dropped at the same time, practically tackling Ella. Annabeth, Percy, Nico, Biron, Ella, and I all landed in a pile.

"Are we alive?" Biron croaked. "Ow."

"Not for much longer unless you get off me." Ella's muffled voice came from underneath her brother. We all struggled to our feet.

"Why didn't that work?" Nico grimaced, still a little unsteady on his feet. "Normally I have some control over spirits, but those guys were totally immune."

"Maybe its because of the missing helm." Annabeth said. "Its what gave Hades control over ghosts, so now that gift isn't yours either until Hades gets the helm back." Nico didn't look happy, but there was no more time to chat.

"We need a ride." Ella said. "And the car is totally totaled." Biron had to bite his lip to keep from a snort, but Ella pretended not to notice.

"Hitchhike?" I asked.

"No." Annabeth said firmly. "Bad idea."

"Bus?"

"None out here."

"Walk?" We all glanced at Nico.

"I'll be fine." Nico insisted. "I'll be fine." But we could all see that he was practically swaying on his feet. Percy was holding him up, and we could all see that he was in no state to walk. There was a huge purple bruise forming over his left eyebrow, and his voice was ever so slightly slurred.

"No, your not. Maybe we should find a place to get some rest." Biron said. "I'm no medic, but you're about to fall over dude."

"Theres some boulders in the trees over there." I pointed. "Shelter. I think its going to rain soon." It was true: large clouds were gathering above us, stretching off in either direction all the way to the horizon.

The others agreed and we started off. Percy helped Nico along. I was getting worried about the son of Hades. I hate to say it, but he creeped me out. It was hard to think of him as Hazels brother, the two were so different. Despite that, I was worried about him. He looked dazed, and the bruise on his head from the crash was getting worse.

Rain started to fall lightly. We found a boulder a few feet from a huge fallen tree. Percy and I draped some tree limbs between the two for a makeshift roof. Even with that, huge drops fell through onto our heads as the rain came down harder.

"Percy can you-" Annabeth started.

"On it." He raised one hand and the raindrops diverted around our shelter.

"Thanks."

"Anytime." Annabeth and Percy curled up with their backs to the tree together, Annabeth holding Percy's free hand, her head on his shoulder.

"Where to now?" I asked. "No car, we need another ride. If we find a car, could you, you know…?" I glanced at Ella. She nodded.

"Sure. Its not like its hard."

"Huh?" Nico asked.

"Um, duh, daughter of Hermes." She waved a hand in front of his nose. "Stealing things is what I do, and I have a way with cars."

"Nico, your head is getting worse." I said. "I have some ambrosia, just a sec." I pulled out a square of ambrosia from a plastic baggie in my backpack and gave him some. "Eat that and try to get some sleep." Nico looked too tired to protest. He ate the ambrosia and lay down. He was snoring in two seconds flat.

"So I get us a car, then...where?" Ella asked. I shrugged.

"Don't know." Suddenly I was hit with a wave of exhaustion. "I think I'm gonna take a nap too." I lay down with my backpack as a pillow.

I had a dream. I was in a large city, in a park. I realized that it was chicago, from the large fountain, Buckingham Fountain, that I had seen once on a postcard. I heard a gravelly voice behind me, and I turned. It was Tartarus. Thirty feet tall, black and muscular, wearing a loincloth. Instead of a face he had a sucking void that seemed to pull on my vision.

Standing next to him was a fat ten foot tall woman with a squashed face and covered in scales. Echidna. I suddenly remembered what Hermes had said before we had met with the gods. "_Why are you here? Your quest against Echidna?"_ This must be her. It was her who had spoken.

"Come come little hero." Tartarus chuckled. "You have done well so far, but many challenges await you still. Lets see how many more you can face before you break." Echidna gave a gravelly chuckle and then spoke again.

"Cas wake up, we need to move." It wasn't Echidna, it was Ella.

"I'm getting up." I said, sitting up. "Hey, is it just me or is it snowing?"

"Its not just you. Its snowing." White flakes swirled to the ground around us. Nico was up, and everyone were zipping up jackets and rubbing their hands together.

"I know where we need to go." I told them all about my dream. Tartarus and Echidna were in Chicago. We walked back through the woods to the road. Nico was much better. The bruise had faded to barely noticeable. We walked along the road until darkness fell again. And then we kept walking until we found a small farmhouse. We slept in their empty barn loft and when we woke up the next morning, there was three feet of snow on the ground. Still, we walked on, trudging on through the thick snow, even as more began to fall.

"We're going to freeze to death out here." I had on only my denim jacket, and Ella had only her hoodie. We _were_ going to freeze.

"Theres a town up ahead." Annabeth said. "We can get warm clothes there."

"Right." I pointed at a sign. "Only three miles to go."


	8. Chapter 8

**Authors Note: Hi, I don't own any characters from the PJO or HoO series's. I would really appreciate any reviews or feedback. Sorry I've taking so long between chapters lately, I've had a LOT of school stuff to deal with. Anyways, I'll try to get them out faster now.**

**Casper's POV~**

We pushed open the front door of the shopping mall, breathing in the mall smells and feeling the wave of heat wash over us. "Theres a winter apparel store over there. Lets get some warmer clothes and then head out."

Ten minutes later I was studying myself in the mirror. I wore a puffy camo jacket, black ski cap, padded snow boots, black scarf, and black handwarmers with white skulls embroidered on the backs of them. I liked the handwarmers best.

Annabeth, Ella, and I left the girl's winter clothes store and met the guys in the food court. Ella wore a neon pink hoodie and black jacket, and Annabeth had found a blue poofy jacket with a multicolored owl design on it. Percy wore a shirt with a bunch of little surfers on it, and a blue coat and hat and gloves. Nico was decked out in a black jacket, hat, gloves, and snow boots. Biron had on a neon green hoodie and black jacket, that matched Ella's. I wondered if they dressed the same way accidentally or on purpose.

I was still getting used to Biron. Ella was my best friend, and then suddenly one day, BOOM . She had a twin brother that was exactly like her. Their blue hair was even the same shade.

"Can we get french fries before we go?" Ella asked hopefully. I rolled my eyes, but I have to admit I was a little hungry.

"Yeah, we can. Theres a seafood place over there." Percy pointed. "I really like seafood."

**Ella's POV~**

We were just sitting down to eat when I noticed something troubling. Cas kept glancing over her shoulder. She looked nervous, and that wasn't good. "What is it?" I whispered as Biron and Percy had a contest to see who could chug coca cola the fastest.

"I just have this weird feeling that somethings watching us." She said nervously. "Like theres someone that I can't see that's like right here." She looked me straight in the eye, and her expression became determined. "I think there's more then the six of us at this table."

"Very good, Caspian." Suddenly, purple mist swirled up around this table. The music that was playing in the food court went on mute, and peoples voices became muffled, like I was hearing them through thick glass. "There is, in fact, an extra person here." More purple mist formed into the shape of a woman with long inky black hair in a sleeveless greek tunic and sandals. Hecate.

"You." I growled. I felt hatred boiling up inside me. I couldn't help it. This was the woman that made me think my twin brother was dead. She was the reason for those lonely days and sleepless nights and the reason that Biron had grown up away from me as well. The reason the whole world had gotten so massively messed up for so long. "Get. Out." On my right, Biron had his fists and teeth clenched. He looked just as mad as I felt.

"You have no business here, now leave before we get mad." He growled. I felt a hand on my arm. Cas pulled me back a little.

"She's a goddess…." She murmured to me. "You can beat the crap out of her later, but get it under control for now…."

Percy set a reassuring hand on Biron's shoulder and muttered something similar to him.

"Why are you here." Cas's voice was cold. I wanted to hurt Hecate. I wanted to attack and not show any mercy for all that she had taken from me. But I knew Cas was right. I could beat the crap out of her later, but for now we needed to see why she was here.

"I came to tell you-" Hecate leaned forward. Her inky hair spilled over her shoulders in perfect waves, like curtains. Her eyes glittered with terrifying malice. "-That no matter what you do. No matter where you hide. If you fall off the _face of the earth_ I will still find you." She turned to Biron, and her expression softened. "I chose you, son of Hermes. I taught you magic and craft and all the things you will need to survive. What have these children done for you? Nothing. Come with me and all your dreams will come true."

Biron took a step forward. All the air escaped my lungs. I was completely sure, in that moment, that he was going to go to Hecate and that I would lose him again. My eyes stung and filled with tears, and I wanted to scream, but no noise would come out.

Biron punched the goddess of magic in the face.

Cas whooped as the goddess stumbled, golden ichor streaming from her nose.

"A parting gift." She spat. The mist disappeared, as did she. Nothing else seemed to appear. I turned to Cas, laughing.

"What parting gift? That whacked-out old crone couldn't-" I stopped. Cas's eyes were golden.


	9. Chapter 9

**Authors Note: I don't own any characters from the PJO or HoO series's. I really like getting reviews.**

**Ella's POV~**

I stumbled back and stared at my friend in horror. Her face twisted into an expression of hate that I never want to see there again. "Alive again." She hissed in an unfamiliar voice. "Thank you mistress."

"Cas!" I gasped. I tried to move forwards, but Annabeth grabbed my arm.

"No, don't." She said.

"But-" I started, but there was definitely something weird with Cas. She drew her sword and shield and scowled at us.

"Its an eidolon, Ella." Percy said. "You know, dead guys that possess people?"

"I can't get it to leave." Nico said, focusing on Cas.

"I'm not going anywhere." Cas's new voice hissed. "I shall kill you all in the name of our mistress. After all, you can't fight me. You don't want to hurt poor Caspian do you?" It twisted its expression and did a bad impression of Cas. "You wouldn't hurt me would you?" He, she, it, whatever, laughed.

"We can't fight it." Percy said. "We'll hurt Cas."

"We have to." Annabeth said. "We have no choice." Zombie Cas charged, sword raised. I jumped to the side just before she skewered me. Nico drew his stygian iron sword, and Cas seemed to wince a little, but Cas sidestepped and knocked it out of its hands.

"Cas stop it!" I shouted. "I know you're still in there - fight it." Suddenly, the gold light faded from Cas's eyes and she looked stunned and confused.

"Ella?" She said, breathlessly. "Help me, he's too stro- Ah!" She doubled over, and when she straightened up, her eyes were gold again. "Stay down, child. This is my body now." Zombie Cas hissed.

"How can we help her?" Biron asked. I was surprised at the level of worry on his face.

"Maybe if we just knock her out." Nico said hopefully. Unfortunately, Zombie Cas wasn't going to wait for us to figure it out. She charged Annabeth, and Annabeth barely managed to avoid the blade. Cas jumped onto the table and pulled out her javelin. She threw it, and it stuck in the ground between my feet.

I fell on my back and Biron pulled me to my feet. "Close one." He said. Cas leaped off the table and attacked Percy. He had to defend himself, but Cas was pressing him backwards.

"Cas, you have to fight it." I shouted, but she ignored me. Percy disarmed Cas, who screamed in rage and grabbed him by the neck. Annabeth tried to pull her off him and Nico fished his sword out from under a plastic table. Meanwhile, the mortals had finally noticed what was going on and were screaming and streaming out of the food court. Security guards were pushing them out the doors. We only had a few minutes before we got arrested.

"Okay, I'm really sorry Cas." I said. She turned towards me, confused, and I ran at her, bow raised. I cracked it over her head. Her eyes rolled up in her head and she collapsed. "Sorry." I repeated.

"Put down the guns and put your hands in the air. No sudden moves." A gruff voice said. It seemed the security officers had finally bucked up their courage to confront us. And apparently, they thought we were holding guns.

I turned. Sure enough, a dozen people in blue uniforms had tasers and stun guns pointed at us. I set down my bow and raised my hands. Everyone else did the same, except for Cas because, duh, she was unconscious.

They cuffed us and dragged us over to the police station where they put us in a holding cell. I banged my head against a bar and sighed. "Now what?" Biron moaned.

"I'm hungry." Cas said suddenly. "And where are we?" She was sitting up, rubbing her head where I had hit her. "And why does my head hurt so much? Weren't we in a mall?"

"You're okay!" I hugged her.

"Ow, OW!" She said. "Ribs hurt."

"Sorry." I said. "You were possessed by an eidolon." It took a while to explain that. Then we started thinking how to escape.

"I could just, you know, shake open the wall." Cas suggested.

"No, I have a better idea." Biron said. "But I need my bag." He pointed to the table in the hallway that connected to our cell. On it was our stuff.

"How can we reach it?" I wondered.

"Theres a water fountain over there." Percy grinned. "No problemo." He held out one hand and focused on the fountain down the hall. In no less then a second, a pipe burst underneath the water fountain, sending water streaming down the hall. He focused on it, and it blasted Biron's backpack off the table and across the floor. Biron lay on his stomach and grabbed it.

He pulled it up to the bars and pulled out the beaker of red jelly that he had shown me back at camp. "Is that the-"

"Yep." He unscrewed the top and a wave of smell hit me, like gym shorts and bad eggs. "Should be enough here for all of us to go once or twice."

"What is that stuff?" Annabeth asked.

"Potion I made. It lets you walk through walls. Its only enough for each of us to use once." He reached in and scooped up a fingerful. He popped it into his mouth and gagged, but handed me the jar. Then he did something amazing. He stepped right through the bars.

"That is so cool." Nico said. "But maybe we should go through this wall directly onto the street instead of through the office." Biron nodded and grabbed all our stuff off the table, then stepped back through the bars. It seemed to be more difficult to do the second time, like the bars were snagged on him, but it worked. We all shouldered our bags and passed around the jar. Biron had to take more, and in ten seconds we were ready.

I pressed one hand against the wall, and suddenly it just passed right through, like it was made of syrup. I stepped through and found myself standing in three feet of snow on the sidewalk.

The others joined me a second later, Biron holding the empty jar.

"Just a second." Cas said. She turned back, and I saw that our footprints in the snow lead directly from the wall. She crouched and wiped out the prints.

We took a bus to the edge of town, where I hijacked a mobile home. It was really pretty nice. There was two little cots, a bathroom with a shower, a kitchenette with a mini fridge and stove, a tiny breakfast nook.

Annabeth took use of the showers, Percy drove, and Cas and Nico napped in the two cots. I found a little food in the fridge and made us nachos. I really wished that Leo was there with his tacos, but I was a decent cook. Biron and I ate in the breakfast nook after I took a plate of nachos up to Percy.

"So." I said, leaning forward on my elbows. There was something I had wanted to talk to him about. His panic when Cas was in trouble at the mall was that of more then just a friend.

"So?" I glanced around to make sure that everyone else was out of hearing range or asleep.

"How about you and Cas?" He went from normal-colored to pink in less then a millisecond.

"We're friends. Thats all, nosy."

"Really? Because I spend way more time then I should with the kids of Aphrodite, and I have picked a few things up. You totally have a crush Cas." He fidgeted and went from pink to bright red. "And if I'm right? I think she likes you." He looked surprised.

"Really?"

"Bro, I'm her best friend. She has a crush on you."

"You're not kidding?"

"No, genius. I'm not kidding. You should ask her out." He went purple.

"No way!"

"You should." I could tell he was about to get up and start ignoring me, so I said in a rush- "She likes art and swordfighting and if you ask her out which you should you should take her to the fireworks on the fourth of July and-" He stood up.

"Okay, thats enough."

"Remember! Fireworks!" I hissed as he sat down next to Percy in the front. Percy started talking to him quietly, and I could tell that Percy was asking what he seemed so flustered about. I tiptoed forward to hear what they were saying.

"You don't think its a terrible idea?" Biron asked.

"No, its great. And I'm her brother, so thats really saying something. She likes fireworks."

"Thats what El said."

"Its true." I had to stifle my giggles at the fact that Biron and Percy were having girl talk. It was pretty funny. I turned and sat down in the breakfast nook, setting my head on the table. I drifted to sleep.


	10. Chapter 10

**Don't own any characters from the PJO or HoO series's. I like getting reviews, any comments suggestions or questions are welcome. And now, the moment you've all been waiting for-**

**Casper's POV~**

I woke up the next morning feeling much better. And for some reason, Biron was acting different around me. He kept tumbling over his words and blushing and looking at anything but me. I wondered what it was, and it just made me even more embarrassed then I usually was around him. I glanced at myself in the tiny bathroom mirror. I wore a black tank top, the skull hand warmers that went up to my elbows, jeans, and of course my golden necklace. I stepped out of the bathroom and ate breakfast with the others.

We drove constantly, and arrived in Chicago that evening. We slept, and started out again the next morning. I wore a black tee, black jacket, my hand warmers, and camo cargo pants. I had had them in my bag the entire time on this quest. Chicago was windy and cloudy and really really really cold, as well as really really really snowy.

"Where to now that we're here, Cas?" Ella asked. I told them about the fountain in my dream, and we headed to the park. Annabeth listed facts about the fountain while we searched for a trapdoor or some other thing that could somehow help. "Theres nothing here." Ella sighed.

"There has to be." I said. "Look again."

"We should actually get going." Nico said. "I have a really bad feeling. Theres a powerful connection to the underworld here. Let's just go before-"

"Too late." I spun around to see a horde of the strangest most horrific monsters I had ever seen. Echidna stood at the back, next to Tartarus. I saw several chimera's, part-lion, part-snake, part-goat things we had first encountered last summer. I spotted Medusa as well, wearing sunglasses and a scarf that kept me from being able to look in her eyes and turn to stone. There was also a ten-foot tall black rottweiler with two heads, that I recognized as Orthos, a two headed dog that usually hung out with the giants. And of course, there was a large army of the undead. It was then that I noticed that Tartarus was wearing the helm of darkness. It was an enormous black obsidian crown with a red plume on top, that trailed down his back.

"Oh gods." Ella whispered. I have to admit I said several things a bit stronger then gods at that point, most of which Chiron would wash my mouth out with saddle soap if I repeated.

"Well." I said grimly. "It was a real pleasure to know you all. Lets go out with a bang, shall we?" We drew our weapons. And then we charged.

I threw my javelin into a chimera's throat, spun and stabbed a dead marine with my dagger, and slashed off a red coats head. Ella fired dozens of arrows into their ranks as Percy summoned a tidal wave from the fountain and blasted apart a three dozen zombies at once. Annabeth took on another chimera. Nico only needed to wave his sword and the zombies shied away from him. Biron threw another vial of greek fire into their ranks and six or seven went up.

Things were going great, until I noticed that Tartarus summoned zombies just as fast as we could destroy them. Tartarus chuckled.

Suddenly I heard a roar behind me. I turned around to see two chimera's growling at me. I threw myself to one side as one pounced, and tumbled to the ground. I rolled to the side as one of their lizard tails slammed into the ground, pulverizing the concrete where I had been a second before. The vibration alone jarred the fillings in my teeth. Immediately my arm started throbbing and I flew to my feet.

I put up my shield in front of my face as the lizard tail flew towards me again. I looked in dismay at the damaged shield. There was a huge dent; it wouldn't take another strike. I hurled it through the air and it struck one of the chimera's in the face, making it burst into dust.

I immediately wished I hadn't, because to do so I had to look away from the other. I heard a roar. I looked down. There was the tip of a lizard tool extending from my thigh. "Ow." I said. I suddenly remembered something. "What have I been doing using a sword?" I said, but my voice was slurred from pain.

I raised my hands and turned to face the chimera. I focused so much that my eyes were crossed, and the ground opened up underneath it. It fell, still roaring, into the pit. I made the crevice bigger, pulling in dozens of zombies at a time. Then I slammed the ground back into place and fell to my knees, ears buzzing.

"Cas?" It was Biron. He pulled me to my feet. "Oh my gods, your leg."

"Help me to the fountain." I mumbled, and he did. I practically fell forward and threw my hands into the fountain. The water flowed up my arms and I felt a surge of adrenaline as the gash on my leg healed itself, faded to a scar, then a scratch, then was gone.

"How-"

"Doesn't matter now. You still have any potions?" He nodded, reaching into his bag and taking out a vial. "Quick, what's it do?"

"Masks demigod scent. I had one that cured sickness but it smashed when the car-"

"Thanks, you're a wonder twin." He went a little pink. I popped the top of the vial off and the smell wrapped around us. "Is that it?"

"Yeah." He said. "Thats it, but-"

"Great. Come come, lets go kick monster ass." A small smile flickered across his face. He drew his bow and I pulled out my sword once more, and we dove back into the fray. Orthos, the two headed dog, was chasing Ella across the park. We ran up behind him, and sure enough he didn't smell us. Somehow, Biron and I knew exactly what to do. I made it so that the ground shook and shot us up. We landed on the dogs back. Biron took the opportunity to rain arrows down at Medusa, who shrieked and exploded into dust. I ran up the dogs back, jumped, and brought my sword down on the dogs head. It howled, and crumbled in dust. Biron and I landed on our feet.

The battle was over. Tartarus and Echidna were gone. Suddenly, I felt a sharp pain in my stomach. I gasped, and Biron turned, the expression on his face changing from happy to terror as he did.

I looked down. There was a javelin in my stomach. "Not again." I mumbled. Biron quickly finished off the zombie and rushed to me. He lowered me to the ground, with my back to the fountain. Blood poured down my front. "Not again." I said again.

"Cas." Biron was trembling. "I have ambrosia, just a minute." He fished in his bag. The others rushed over. They all immediately started doing different things. Nico helped Biron search their bags for ambrosia and nectar. Ella went into tears and dropped to her knees next to me. Annabeth tried to stop the bleeding, and Percy pulled my hand into the water. The water swirled around my hand and healed my stomach.

"Honestly." I said. "Such a fuss." They all stared at me. Then Percy burst into hysterical laughter. He was joined by the others one by one. Even Biron, who still looked shaken, laughed.

We took the trailer back towards camp. That night we stopped the mobile home in a campsite in the woods. The stars were beautiful, since we were far enough out of city limits to be able to see them. I walked a little ways away from the fire into the woods, to a boulder which I quickly climbed. I pulled out my notebook and pen, and began to draw.

"I didn't know you were an artist." Biron's voice came from behind me. I jumped. "Sorry, didn't mean to startle you." He plopped down next to me. We sat in silence for a second until he spoke again. "I need to tell you something."

I turned to face him, and brushed my hair behind one ear. Even in the moonlight, he was handsome. "Yes?"

"Today, when I thought you were going to die, I realized something." I wondered where he was going with this. I tried to focus on the fact that he was my best friend's brother, but my heart wasn't with the program. It kept skipping beats. "I realized that…. I can't live without you Cas."

And then we were kissing, and nothing else in the world mattered. It didn't matter that he was my best friends brother. All that existed in the world was me, and Biron, and this clear starry night. I finally pulled myself away from him.

"I realized something too." I said. I held his hand. This is crazy, I thought giddily, my first boyfriend ever is my best friends brother. But…. I love him. "I can't live without you." We kissed again.

We sat on the boulder for a few minutes, talking and just being together, and then we walked back to the campsite. We held hands in the dark where nobody could see, but it didn't work.

As we sat down, Annabeth nudged Percy who glanced over and then nodded approvingly. Ella giggled, and Nico gave a tiny smile.

We were back at camp in two days.

I was down at the dock in the lake, with Biron. We were talking, and then Biron took my hand suddenly.

"Hey, Cas? I was wondering…." He said the next in a bit of a rush. "If you would like to go to the Fourth of July fireworks with me?"

"Thought you would never ask." I said. "This is going to be a good summer. I can tell." He nodded.

"You bet it will be." I stood on my tiptoes and kissed him. "This is only the beginning though." I nodded.

"It is. But you, me, Ella? We can do this." I squeezed his hand. "We can totally do this."


	11. Chapter 11

p id="docs-internal-guid-ffb88143-4762-310b-efbb-d09f44728f95" dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"So this is F here, just to say that book 3 will be coming out soon. I'll check in when the beginning of "Caspian book 3: The Siege of Camp Half Blood" is out. I know that this book was a lot shorter then book one, so sorry. Over and out,/span/p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"-F/span/p 


	12. Chapter 12

p id="docs-internal-guid-0374ea62-4a90-e8b3-5326-e7a213850678" dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"Hi, here to say that chapter one of book 3 is now out. Search for "Caspian book 3: The Siege of Camp Halfblood" or access it from our profile if interested. Adios,/span/p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"-F/span/p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"AFincorporated :)br /span/p 


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